


Birthday Kisses

by Froggy1988



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: Birthday, Cassarian, Crushes, Embarrassment, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Humor, Popcorn, Surprise Kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:53:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25124215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Froggy1988/pseuds/Froggy1988
Summary: Varian’s been dreading his birthday, every boy in Corona has to present themselves in the great hall on their eighteenth birthday and they’re not allowed to leave until a young lady presents them with a kiss. Warning: Slight passing mention of sexual themes – a Varian still has a crush on Cassandra fic.No Longer a one- shot!
Relationships: Cassandra/Varian (Disney: Tangled)
Comments: 51
Kudos: 76





	1. Chapter 1

** Birthday Kisses **

_Rapunzel, I hope this gets to you. I am so sorry, but I won’t be able to make your wedding. I was on my way, honestly, but there was a storm in the Southern sea, and I have been stuck on this godforsaken island for a week now. Believe me I’m devastated, but I’ve tried everything I could to get there in time and it’s not going to happen. I know you’re going to make the loveliest bride; tell Fitzherbert he doesn’t deserve you._

_I’ll try and be there before the month is out so save me some cake._

_Your friend_

_Cassandra_

***

“I know I’m a married woman, but can I be the first one to kiss the birthday boy?” Rapunzel said with a smile.

Varian gave her a small smile and a half hug as she stepped forwards to kiss him on his cheek.

“Thanks Rapunzel. So, Uh, do I really have to do this?” He said nervously.

“Yes.” Rapunzel answered. “It’s a Corona tradition, and I personally love it.”

“You’re not the one whose expected to stand in the great hall and wait for somebody to kiss him.”

  
“Every young man for a hundred years has stood in the great hall at midday on their eighteenth birthday and accepted the kiss of any young unattached lady who offers it. Just think Varian, I meet Eugene the day before my eighteenth birthday, you might meet your future spouse today.”

  
“Uh, no, I am nowhere near ready for marriage. Also, you forgot the part where I have to stand there waiting to be kissed and I’m not allowed to leave until somebody does. I’m going to be there all-night Rapunzel! It’s going to be humiliating.”

  
“No, that won’t happen, I’ll send somebody to release you if it does, I promise. Not that I need to promise, because it is not going to happen. You are the Royal Engineer, and you are looking very dapper, the young ladies are going to come. I guarantee it.”

Varian looked at himself one more time in the mirror, straightening the waistcoat and jacket Eugene had insisted that he wear. He was far more comfortable in his shirt and leather jerkin, but here he was stood in a suit as if he were going to some kind of ball.

As if summoned Eugene appeared in the doorway.

“It’s midday and the girls are lining up.”

  
“Don’t tease him Eugene.” Rapunzel said, then whispered (in a way that Varian could totally hear because he was stood right next to her). “He’s a bit shy.”

“Oh, I’m being serious, there are half a dozen girls queueing outside of the door to the great hall, and I’m sure I saw more heading in that direction on the way here.”

“What?” Varian squeaked.

“Somebody is popular with the ladies.”  
  


“But why?” Varian shouted as Eugene pushed him down the corridor towards the hall. “What do they want from me?”

  
“In my experience a lifetime of complete dedication and a steady income. That’s why when I was a thief I was always the ‘other guy’.”

  
“Ah ha!” Lance called as they entered the great hall. “Let the entertainment begin.”

“Did you have to bring popcorn?” Varian complained.

  
“Yes, ah our boys going to become a man.”

  
“Only if it goes really well.” Eugene laughed.

“Will you too stop it. You’re making him nervous.” Rapunzel said as she entered behind them.

She took Varian by the shoulders and led him into the middle of the red carpet that ran through the middle of the room.

“I will open the doors and we’ll let them in one at a time, and when they’ve all gone, we can celebrate your birthday how you want to.”

  
“Curling up in the corner of my lab and pretending that this never happened?”

  
“Now, remember kid.” Eugen said walking towards him. “Dry but slightly moist, tilt your head slightly to the side but not too far, hands to yourself, and if any of them are good looking think about old lady Crowley.”

  
“Why? Oh, OH!”

“Ready?” Rapunzel asked.

“No.”

“I’m opening the doors now.”

  
“Wait, Eugene, which side do I tilt my head to? Which side!?”

Eugene made a motion for him to be quiet as Rapunzel opened the doors.

Varian tensed up, but relaxed when he saw the small figures of Catalina and Kiera.

“Oh, no, not happening.” Lance said standing up.

“Aren’t you girls too young?” Varian asked with a fond laugh. “You’re meant to be at least sixteen.”

  
“I know, we just wanted to wish you happy Birthday V.” Catalina said.

Varian smiled.

“I am not going to kiss you.” Keira said sounding disgusted.

“I will.” Catalina cried bounding up and quickly kissing him on the cheek before running away blushing.

“Yuck.” Keira said following her sister back out of the hall.

“They grow up so fast.” Eugene said placing his hand on Lance’s back to console him.

“I thought I had more time.” Lance answered his face in his hands. “One day this silent little thief comes into your life and then like that she’s kissing boys.”  
  


Varian took a deep breath, if it was just going to be his friends like Rapunzel and Catalina then he was going to get through this fine.

Rapunzel opened the door a second time, this time a heavily blushing Faith walked in. Varian stared at her as she came up the carpet stopping close to him. She met his eyes for a second before looking away.

“Happy birthday Varian.”

  
“Uh, thanks.” Varian replied. They stood there in awkward silence for a long moment. He knew he had to kiss her, he just thought that she would be the one to initiate it, but as he hesitated, she started to look worried. He was hurting her feelings, he had to just go for it. He closed his eyes leaned forwards and pecked her on the lips.

She looked delighted.

“See you around?”

  
“Yeah.” Varian agreed as she ran out the door.

Varian watched her go, he had no idea what had just happened. Obviously, he could not have been too bad a kisser, though he had been too nervous to really take any of it in, but she hadn’t acted horrified afterwards.

A girl from his village came next, she was buxom and had long blonde hair. Varian had never said a word to her, and she had always ignored him up until a year previously when he had begun working at the castle, and she had started waving at him and saying hello to him. She walked up to him without hesitation and running her fingers through his hair had brought him in for a long deep kiss. Varian let out a muffled squeak. She smiled flirtatiously at him as she walked off.

“Whooee, that one knows what she’s doing.” Eugene commented shovelling Lance’s popcorn into his mouth.

“Yeah.” Rapunzel said sounding slightly annoyed. “She’s been at every boy’s eighteenth for the last year.”  
  


Next came Xavier’s niece who gave him a polite kiss on the cheek and wished him happy birthday; another of the maids whose name Varian couldn’t even recall was after, he had kissed her with nervous quickness on the mouth and she had given a high pitched giggle and ran out; the next was a daughter of a farmer and once again Varian made it through with a kiss on the cheek. As he looked to the door again, he saw Rapunzel gasp.

“Cassandra?”

Varian’s eyes widened as Cassandra strolled in.

“So, I came to say hello but ended up at the back of some kind of queue.”

Rapunzel hugged her friend.

“I can’t believe you’re here.”

  
Cassandra gave her a wide smile.

“I said that I would be. Again, I am so sorry that I missed your wedding. So uh, what’s going on here?” She asked as she looked around the hall at her friends gathered there.

“Birthday kisses.” Eugene shouted.

“Oh.” Cassandra’s eyes lighted on Varian.

He felt his mouth go dry and his heart hammer in his chest.

“Hi Cassie, um, Cassandra.. I mean.”

  
“Call me Cassie, I said you could.”

  
“Huh.” Varian gave out a little nervous laugh.

“So, it’s you’re eighteenth birthday and they made you go through this antiquated tradition?”

Cassandra asked as she strolled towards him stopping a foot from him.

“Yeah, antiquated.” Varian answered.

“Well, who am I to argue with tradition?” Cassandra said.

Varian gulped. Cassandra leaned in close to him. They were equal hight now as she had been gone for over a year and he’d finally hit a much longed for growth spurt. He saw Cassandra close her eyes, tilt her head upwards and feeling as if he was in some kind of dream Varian closed the distance between them. Her lips were soft and slick and her could taste the sweetness of her breath. Butterflies gathered in his stomach, everything except him and her disappeared. Then it was over.

“Crowley, Crowley.” Eugene was shouting.

Varian shot him an annoyed look.

“What are you on about Fitzherbert?” Cassandra asked.  
  


“Nothing.”  
  


Cassandra sighed and turned her attention back to Varian.

“Happy Birthday.”

  
He tried to think of something clever and suave to say but instead ended up just nodding.

“So, uh, are you staying for the party?” He blurted.

  
“Absolutely.” Cassandra smiled back.

“I thought he was just going to spend the night in his lab pretending that none of us exist.” Lance said.

“Huh, no, of course not.” Varian said. “We’re going for beer. At the… ugly duckling.”

“Count me in.” Cassandra said. 

“Me too.” Rapunzel agreed as she came and wrapped her arm around her friend leading her away. “We have so much to catch up on.”  
  


Varian watched the two women walk out.

“Well, that was delightfully awkward.” Eugene said.

“He seemed to get the hang of it towards the end.” Lance commented.

“Well, if there’s going to be a party now, I guess we’d better go out and buy presents.” Eugene said putting the popcorn down.

“I already got everything I wanted.” Varian whispered under his breath.  
  



	2. PARTY!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, Birthday Kisses was supposed to be a one-shot, but then it got a prequel (the day of hearts dance) and now it’s getting two more chapters and a three-chapter sequel, so my one-shot is now a trilogy.

PARTY!

6:03 PM

Cassandra put on her favourite (okay, only) black skirt and blouse, throwing a favourite red waistcoat over the top. She tied her hair up in a half bun, letting the rest flow down her back and went out to meet the rest of the party by the stables.

7:03PM

“So, why aren’t we eating at the Ugly Duckling?” Varian asked sitting down at the table with is friends. Cassandra smiled across at him.

“Have you ever actually eaten at the Ugly Duckling?”  
  


“No.”

“The best word to describe it is sludge.”

“Hey, I used to be the cook.” Lances interrupted.  
“And it was minimally better for those few months.” Eugene said.

“Right, thank you.”  
“So, let’s have some big bowls of pasta, and then go and drink.”

“Well, as long as the drinks are better at the Duckling than the food.”

Everybody at the table was silent.

“Wait, there not?” Varian said.  
“Ha! No.” Eugene said.

“Wait, then why are you guys always drinking there?”  
“No idea.” Lance said loudly.

8:03 PM

"Do you have any wine?" Cassandra asked Big Nose who was behind the counter, he shook his head. "What do you have?"

"Beer."

"Anything other than beer.” Cassandra asked, she didn’t like beer. “Literally anything at all?"

"Well, whiskey?" Big Nose said bending down under the counter and bringing out a dusty bottle.

"Whiskey it is."

Varian came up behind her.

"Make that two."

"Don't you think you should start on something a little less ...

"Ha! I'm actually a whiskey man. Drink it all the time." Varian lied, wanting to impress Cassandra with his worldliness.

"But you've only ordered milk in here before." Big Nose said.

"I drink in town usually." Varian answered. He took the glass offered to him and downed it in one, before coughing and spluttering.

"Yeah, you've got a real tolerance for it.” Cassandra said dryly.

“It's gone off, it burns.” Varian croaked.

“It’s supposed too.”

“Really? Why would anybody drink that?”

Cassandra' smiled, she patted him on the shoulder.

“Come on, I'll buy you a beer.”

9:03PM

Varian went up to the counter to order himself a second beer, having slowly drunk the last one whilst listening to Cassandra telling stories of where she had been to the group.

“It’s your eighteenth birthday then?” Big Nose asked.

Varian nodded.

Big Nose sighed, his chin falling into his hand as he rested against the bar, a dreamy look on his face.

“You stood in the hall and got kissed by your one true love?”  
  


“Uh, maybe.”

“You know they say if you're lucky enough to get kissed by the same girl on your eighteenth birthday, and the day of hearts dance then you're destined to get married. Nothing can get in the way of destined true love; all you have to do is wait for your planets to align.”

“The same girl. “Varian said a grin spreading on his face. “Does it matter if it's on the lips both times?”

“I don't think so.”

“Destined.” Varian echoed.

10:03 PM

Rapunzel was playing the guitar, Eugene and Lance were dancing on the table. 

Cassandra laughed; it was so good to be with her friends again. The birthday boy was passed a flagon of beer by Atilla.

"DOWN IT DOWN IT!" Eugene started the chant; it was soon picked up by the rest of the pub.

"You don't have to!" Rapunzel tried to shout over the crowd. 

Varian put the beer to his lips, tilted his head backwards and started gulping. Cassandra wondered if more had gone on the floor than into his mouth, but there was a large cheer as he finished the flagon, another was automatically placed in his hand.

11:03 PM

“Truth or Dare!” Lance shouted.

“Oh No.” Cassandra groaned. “No good ever came out of truth or dare.”  


“I love it!” Rapunzel said. “Me first, truth!”  
  


“Did you and Eugene ever hook up in the caravan?”  
  


“Define hook up.” Rapunzel said.

Lance and Cassandra laughed.

“We never went all the way.” Rapunzel said.

“I feel like that’s only a half answer.” Lance said.

“Then what do I need to do?”

“Drink Cassandra’s whiskey.”

“Done.” Rapunzel grabbed the glass and downed the amber liquid, gaggin afterwards.

“Hey!”  
  


“I’ll get you another one.” Eugene said. “In fact, I’ll get everybody another one! THIS ROUND ON ME! TO CELEBRATE OUR BOY BECOMING A MAN!” Eugene shouted slapping Varian on the back. There was a loud cheer from the thugs in the pub.

“Okay, okay Cassandra’s go.”

“Truth.”

“Hmm… what to ask the snake woman.” Eugene said. “Considering that she never reveals anything about herself.”

“Is the maid in waiting, actually a maid?” Lance suggested.

“Of course I am.”

“But, have you ever had a boyfriend?” Eugene said.

“Yes, Eugene, not everybody finds me as repulsive as I find you.”

“Are you with somebody now?” Varian asked shyly.

“No, no I’m not.”  
  


“Birthday boys turn!” Rapunzel shouted.

“Oh, Oh! I know.” Lance said. “Who was the best kisser today?”  
  


“Dare.” Varian said.

“Believe me, you don’t want to do that.” Eugene said.

“Ahh! Okay.” Varian said blushing bright red. “Cassandra, definitely Cassandra.”

“HA!” Lance said banging his fists down on the table. “You go girl.”

“You weren’t bad yourself.” Cassandra said smiling at Varian.

“Thanks Cassie.”

12:03AM

Cassandra was dancing, well spinning around, maybe, it might have been the room that was doing the spinning. Lance picked her up and for a moment she felt a weightlessness as she was thrown into the air.

“Cassie!” She felt arms wrap securely around her body. "Lance careful, she could have hit her head." She opened her eyes and looked up into electric blue eyes 

"You okay Cassie?

"Too loud." She muttered putting her hand to her head.

"Want to go outside, find somewhere quiet?"

Cassandra nodded, Varian wrapped his arm around her waist and led her out into the fresh air.

8:03 am

Cassandra woke up. She groaned, her head hurt, her throat burned, was she sick? Memories started to come back, oh, right, the birthday party. Where was she? She opened up her eyes, there was fabric below her head, fabric with buttons, a blue shirt. She could hear a heartbeat now, she looked up into the sleeping face of Varian.

"Oh fuck."


	3. Goodbye - for now

Okay, so this Varian is totally and utterly cinnamon roll kid, and I know I've done 'the talk' in other stories but I just found it really fun to write this.

***

She looked down into the sleeping face of Varian. She tried to remember the night before, she'd come back here with Varian to try and sober up, they'd eaten sandwiches and they had sat up talking. She couldn't remember the bit where they ended up in the bed though. Though she was fully clothed, as was he, that was a good sign. She tried not to groan, she felt so nauseous, and dizzy. She needed to concentrate.

She didn't think anything had happened, surely they'd be some kind of trace or she'd feel different. She checked that Varian was still asleep as she reached her hand below her waistband to checked and see if she was sore to the touch, she wasn't and there wasn't any trace down there that anything had happened.

Varian stirred. He opened his eyes and groaned.

"Did somebody hit me on the head with a frying pan?"

"Quite possibly, Varian, last night did we..."

"Talk all night, and fall asleep in each others arms? Yes, yes we did. " He said stretching his arms over his head with a contented smile.

"Oh, thank gods, for a second there I thought we'd... you know." She laughed at the idea, it was ridiculous really, Varian was as sweet and innocent a kid as you could get, apart from the occasional homicidal rage.

"You thought we'd what?" He said confused.

She stared at him, realization dawning. He really didn't know what she was referring to, well, that confirmed that they hadn't done it then.

"I thought we'd had sex. "

"Oh. That!" He gave an awkward laugh. "Nope, we uh... didn't do that, I think."

"You think!"

"Wow, okay, definitely not then." Varian said holding his hands up in the air, trying to calm Cassandra's sudden rage. "Yeah, people do that naked...we were never naked, I would have remembered."

Cassandra sighed. She was starting to feel really ill, she just wanted to get out of there.

"I'm gonna go." She said getting out of the bed and running her fingers quickly through her hair.

"I could make you breakfast?" Varian suggested.

"I'm fine."

She left the house without another word, and threw up in the yard by an apple tree. Urgh, she thought, It was not a good start to the day.

***

A few hours later Varian was wondering around the castle looking for his friends. He had a lot of questions, and he felt too embarrassed to ask his Dad. Admittedly, it was embarrassing to have to ask his friends as well, but he had a feeling he was meant to know all this stuff by now, he knew stuff... Just the details were a little fuzzy.

He found Eugene and Lance in a small dining room not far from the royal apartments. The table was laid with sweet cakes and glasses of water, well, the space that wasn't taken up by Eugene who for some reason was lying flat in his back in the middle of the table as Lance happily ate around him.

"Hey! There he is, how was your birthday kid?" Lance said.

"Good, I mean, is it normal to feel like you want to die after drinking alcohol?'

"Yep." Eugene groaned from the centre of the table.

"Completely."

"Then why do you keep drinking?"

"It always seems like a good idea at the time."

"Did you make it home? I'm assuming at some point you went home." Eugene asked. "You kind of disappeared."

"I did. Me and Cassandra went to my place. We slept together."

Eugene sat bolt upright , they both stared at him with open mouths.

"It's just this morning, well, she seemed to think that we may have, done ... Sex." Varian said awkwardly, running his hand through his hair.

"Ha! Okay, he actually meant sleep, because for a second there..." Lance laughed.

"I know." Eugene burst into laughter. "That would have been up there on my surprise meter at the same point as when I discovered Rapunzel had magical glowing hair."

"Guys! I don't know what it is." Varian shouted over them.

"Don't know what what is?" Lance said laughing.

"Oh! Oh... Lance he means IT."

"No, I mean how couldn't he?"

"I mean I met Rapunzel on her eighteenth birthday and he's about as worldly as she was at that age."

"But she spent 18 years locked in a tower."

"Well, he's been locked in a lab, and we're his only friends, and we've only actually liked him for a bit of the time that we've known him."

"Guys, I'm still here."

"This one's on you." Lance said to Eugene.

"Why me?"

"Well, you said it yourself, hes about as world's as Rapunzel, and you handled that."

"I am not doing that with him."

"You dog."

"Guys! Come on! I've walked in in people ... Well, you know, but it's not like I kept around for long enough to get a good idea of what exactly was going on. You get naked, you kiss, something happens around the hip area, what?"

"You walked in on somebody?" Eugene said curiously.

Varian felt his cheeks grow red.

"My Dad, and a neighbor. I was really upset because it wasn't long after my mum died."

"People deal with grief in different ways Varian." Eugene said softly.

"That's why we've never talked about it, I was so angry with him, and I never had friends to ask."

"Oh boy." Eugene put his hand on his head. "I need to be drunk again."

"Right, I am the father of two soon to be teenagers, I can handle this, Varian when a man loves a woman." Lance started. "His rabbit wants to burrow."

"He's a raccoon." Varian corrected.

"If you say so kid."

"Wait, what's this got to do with sex?" Varian asked looking over at Eugene.

"Hey, even I don't know what he's talking about right now."

"But you have to remember, just because you went out and brought the cards does not mean that she owes you a game of poker." Lance continued

"Wait, the rabbit plays poker... am I the rabbit, or the poker?"

"You want to POKE HER." Eugene said.

"And if you're going fishing, wear you fishing boots. Job done! Now you know everything." Lance said.

Eugene stared at him open mouthed.

"Eugene?"

"Women's vaginas have a opening, like a tunnel, dicks fit in that tunnel."

"Oh... Oh! Yeah, that actually makes a lot of sense. Where does the fishing line come in?"

"Ignore all that, come with me, I'll sort you out kid. Let's talk with Rapunzel, she'll probably be a lot more sympathetic than this one." He said waving at Lance.

***

Cassandra was busy with Rapunzel for the next week, and Varian only saw her in passing and in a group when he went to the castle for a dinner. It was annoying for him that the didn't get to see her and speak to her again. She had the feeling that she was avoiding him, but he was busy surveying the cities drainage system to see if it could cope with the extra water from his hot water system. That was what he was doing when he overheard a conversation between two of the town people.

"I hear that she's leaving today."

"Oh, thank goodness. I have not felt safe all week, I don't know why the Princess would welcome her back."

"Well, my friend in the stables said he was told to prepare the horse Fidella for a long journey."

Varian clicked on that they were talking about Cassandra. She was leaving. He dropped his notepad and ran.

He arrived breathless into the stables and saw Cassandra stood there. He wanted to say something clever and flirtatious, but all he could do was bend over and try to catch his breath.

"Hey." Cassandra said stepping towards him.

"You're leaving."

"Yep, it's been good, but it's time to go. I feel the wind calling me North, to Arendale."

"But... I kind of thought that maybe you and I could spend some more time together, like, a date."

Cassandra sighed, she looked down at her boots. Varian watched her feeling his heart sink. He'd already known that she was going to say no, but he had to try, he would have regretted it if he'd never even tried. She stepped close to him and she took his hand.

"Come." She said leading him over to a hay barrel where they sat next to each other. Cassandra didn't let go of his hand, she turned to look at him.

"I like you."

"I like you too Cassie."

"I know, and I can see the man you are going to grow into, honestly, I can. You are going to be a great man, one that I would be lucky to be with, but for now, I'm a grown woman and you're just a kid."

"I've just turned eighteen, I'm a man now."

"A man in training. Varian, I'm eight years older than you."

"My Dad was ten years older than my mum."

"I know, it matters less and less as time goes on, but for now, it does matter. Eighteen and twenty six is a big difference. I think those are the years that you learn the most about who you are and who you want to be. It's a time when you change a lot, and grow a lot. I've seen how much you've grown in the last few years Varian, I am not try to sell you short in any way, I'm just saying, right now, don't rush, take your time, find out who you are. Then maybe we'll talk."

"So, you're saying, when I'm your age, the age difference wouldn't matter to you."

"Yes, I guess that's partly what I'm saying."

"Well, I only have to wait eight years then. "Varian said. Cassandra gave a little laugh and looked down at their joined hands. "Well, I know one thing about you, you're determined."

"Will you write to me Cassandra?"

"Of course, like I said, I know you're going to grow into something special, you're going to have so many adventures, and I want to hear all about them."

She stood up ready to leave. She went over to Fidella and altered the straps under her saddle. Varian stood up and followed her, it was time to say goodbye, and he didn't know when he would see her again, but he had one thing to hold onto, they were destined to be together.

"Well, I guess it's goodbye." Varian said.

"No, just see you later." Cassandra said, she stepped towards him and bent down to kiss his cheek. She hesitated at the last moment and gave him the briefest of pecks on his lips instead. As before, it was electric, it just made Varian even more confident that one day they would be together.

"Bye Varian." She said hoisting herself up in the saddle.

"Bye Cassie. I'll see you when you come back, and you'll be proud of everything I've become."

"I know I will Varian, I'm always going to be proud to be your friend."

"And I'll be older then."

She smiled back over her shoulder at him as Fidella trotted out of the stable.

"And our age difference will matter less." He shouted.

"Don't wait for me Varian, there's a girl out there your age who deserves you."

He would wait, and he would become a man that would sweep her off her feet.

***  
Not the end - the next story in the series will be called Masquerade.


End file.
